Why is chicken pox called chicken pox?
There are many explanations offered for the origin of the name chickenpox: the specks that appear looked as though the skin was pecked by chickens; the disease was named after chick peas, from a supposed similarity in size of the seed to the lesions; Samuel Johnson suggested that the disease was “no very great danger,” thus a “chicken” version of the pox; the term reflects a corruption of the Old English word, “giccin”, which meant “itching”. As “pox” also means curse, in medieval times some believed it was a plague brought on to curse children by the use of black magic. From ancient times, neem has been used by Indians to alleviate the external symptoms of itching and to minimise scarring. Neem baths – neem leaves and a dash of turmeric powder in water – are commonly given for the duration. During the medieval era, oatmeal was discovered to soothe the sores, and oatmeal baths are today still commonly given to relieve itching.
